Focal Cooling As A Prophylactic Treatment For Post-Traumatic Epilepsy

Seizures resulting from head injury often emanate from the specific portion of the brain that has been injured, resulting in what are called partial seizures. This type of seizure is often especially resistant to treatment and there is an urgent need for novel and more effective treatments. Dr. D’Ambrosio’s project will determine whether focal brain cooling—cooling of the area of the brain responsible for the epilepsy—is an effective option to terminate seizures in both animals and humans. The planned experiments will define both the therapeutic window best suited to control and potentially prevent the partial seizures induced by head injury in an animal model, and the magnitude and extent of surface cooling needed to achieve a similar objective in humans. If successful, this work will provide the groundwork for the translation of focal cortical cooling from “bench to bedside” as a treatment for human epilepsy.